


Three Months

by december_dream



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Manipulation, Mika is a sweetheart, Nekoma, Nohebi, One Shot, Slight Canon Divergence, They're Not, daishou thinks he's clever too, kuroo thinks he's clever, mika is ACTUALLY clever, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27391882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/december_dream/pseuds/december_dream
Summary: You've been in love with Tetsurō Kuroo for as long as you can remember; he refuses to see you that way. Suguru Daishō loves Mika Yamaka, and always will regardless of her breaking up with him.You and Daishō do the obvious thing - get together to make your respective objects of affection see green.
Relationships: Daishou Suguru/Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader
Comments: 15
Kudos: 68





	Three Months

**Author's Note:**

> Suguru? I think you mean love of my life.  
> 

It’s some stupid get together that Kuroo had roped you and Kenma into - a yearly ordeal that you had planned on skipping entirely this year; the teams participating in in the semifinals get together in a common room of the hotel they’re staying in and it’s almost a party, except they’re all volleyball dorks and wouldn’t risk being kicked out of the tournament for sneaking in alcohol.

But Kuroo had asked, so of course, you said yes.

So here you are in a common space, legs crossed and staring at Kuroo as he talks to one of the other players. You know that as the manager, you should be there for team building and everything but holy fuck if you aren’t tired; the only thing keeping you here right now is the man with perpetual bedhead beside you. 

The only reason you’re here is because _he_ asked you to be here. To be quite honest, you’d leap from the roof if he asked you to - anything to make Kuroo happy. Kenma has left by now (only showing up for about ten minutes to make his friends happy), but you are insisting on staying until Kuroo leaves; however just because it’s your plan, doesn’t mean you can’t hate it.

“(L/n),” Kuroo glances down at you, “you look like you’re falling asleep.”

“Just tired from taking care of you babies.” You hum, shutting your eyes for a moment.

“We’re not babies!” Yaku shouts, making you cringe at the volume.

“You’re the right size for one,” Lev says, smiling wildly despite the fact that a certain third-year is preparing to throttle him. Kuroo chuckles beside you, quiet enough so that his friend won’t hear but it dies down as he looks to the door.

“God damn it,” your eyebrow raises at Kuroo’s words, following his line of sight. 

Ah.

Daishō.

The Nohebi captain smirks as he’s gaze locks onto the person beside you, “Look at the alleycats,” the rest of the Nohebi members roll their eyes, walking off to talk with some friends from other teams; the captains refuse to look away from each other, though, glaring.

“Hey, how’s life after Mika?” Kuroo calls out - and with that, the tone for the rest of the evening is set. Kuroo and Daishō spend the evening arguing with each other and you spend the same amount of time humming in agreement with Kuroo (even though you rarely heard what he said). You know it’s obvious by the way you look at him - that you’re hopelessly in love with him.

And apparently, a certain snake bastard had picked up on it.

“Why Kuroo of all people?” You’re the last two people there well, at least the last two conscious people - some people had crashed in the common area.

“What do you mean?” You try to hide the stutter in your movements as you clean the common area.

Daishō chuckles, picking up a discarded cup, “C’mon - you know what I’m talking about; the way you look at him is the same way I look at my girlfriend-”

“ _Ex_ -girlfriend,” 

“Whatever - I know how to get him to notice you,” you’re less successful in hiding the way your movements hitch, and you’re sure he notices it this time (though you never doubted that he noticed it last time). “I have a proposition for you.”

You hum, not wanting to acknowledge him too much.

“You and I get together,” He says it so casually, ignoring the way you sputter.

“Listen, Daishō-”

“Not for real, obviously,” he rolls his eyes, “ _I_ want Mika to take me back, _you_ want to get with Kuroo - you dating his rival would catch his eye, me having a new girlfriend would catch hers; it’s a win-win for both of us.” He throws an empty cup, watching as it sinks into the trash can by the door.

“That’s an insane, awful idea,” because it _is_ an insane, awful idea, “regardless of my feelings towards Kuroo, we’re on opposing teams, _rival_ teams.” 

“All publicity is good publicity.”

“That’s absolutely not true,” you shove an empty pizza box into a trash bag, hauling it over to the door. When you turn to leave, he’s in front of you, smirking.

“I’ll let you set all the terms - any rules you set, I’ll follow.”

“No, Daishō.” You duck under his arm, walking back to your room and ignoring the way his eyes bore into the back of your skull. _It’s an insane, awful idea_ , is what you tell yourself as you lay in bed that night. But the next day when you watch a few girls flirt with him after Nekoma’s won the match, maybe it’s a little less insane and awful.

His door is daunting - in fact, the entire Nohebi floor was daunting, and rightfully so; your team had just beat theirs, they’re hurting and angry and they just want to go home. His door looks too big like they weren’t made by the same company who made the ones on the floor you stayed on. 

The door opens not ten seconds after you’ve knocked.

“Fine,” you mumble, staring at your hands, “I’m in.”

He’s way too pleased with himself as he answers: “And your rules?”

“Time limit of three months - if it doesn’t work by then, we’re done.” you cross your arms over your chest, hiding in yourself; it feels shameful, setting up a fake relationship. “A-and don’t antagonize Kuroo too much.”

“Whatever you say, sweetness.” You wonder if this conniving asshole has a tell.

* * *

You’re sure the entirety of Nekoma has noticed how nervous you’ve been all practice, you haven’t been able to sit still all afternoon; leg bouncing while you sat on a bench, pacing while you stood - they were bound to notice.

“What the fuck…?” Kuroo’s words bounce off the walls (only he, Kenma, and you remain to clean up the gym after practice) and you know what’s happening. Your shoulder tense, you exhale a shaky breath - it’s time. 

“Suguru!” You smile tightly and turn towards the gym doors; it had been his idea - for you to call each other by your first names - but it didn’t make you any less uncomfortable. Kuroo’s gaze is trained on you as you walk towards his rival, you can feel it burn into you when you reach the doors and wrap your arms around Daishō in a hug.

“You’re way too stiff,” Daishō whispers, “just relax.” He pulls back, pressing a quick kiss to your lips; it’s uncomfortable and only serves to make you tense farther - he’s just stolen your first kiss and he doesn’t even know it; it hadn’t crossed your mind while making the rules that kissing is involved in relationships. 

You really should’ve thought about that. 

When you face your friends again, Kenma is shocked and Kuroo is fuming. “What the hell is going on?” 

“We’re dating, rooster head.” Daishō sneers, arm kept around your middle. You elbow him, keeping a smile on your face.

“Since when?” Kenma asks.

“We started talking at semifinals,” there’s guilt bubbling in your stomach from lying to your friends, “we hung out a couple times, and uh, I guess that's it?” You lean on Daishō’s shoulder, trying your best to keep eye contact with Kuroo. You feel fucking nauseous. 

“Him? Of all people, _Daishō_?”

“It’s not your relationship, dumb ass,” Daishō sticks his tongue out before turning to you, “ready to go?”

“Gimmie a sec, we’re almost done packing up - I’ll meet you outside?” He presses a kiss to your crown before removing his arm and poking his tongue out at Kuroo one last time as he exits.

Kuroo’s on you in a second, berating you with questions, “Why the fuck would you choose Daishō - he’s _awful_.”

“Kuroo…”

“He’s using you to get back with Mika - he doesn’t care about you!” He throws his hands up in exasperation.

“Yes, he does,” you say, “you don’t know anything about him - and since when do you have a say in my love life?” You push the volleyball cart into the storage room, fishing the keys out of your pocket to lock the door afterwards.

“I have a say because I care about you,” and you freeze because there's no way Daishō’s plan worked this quickly, “you’re one of my best friends, I don’t want you to get your heart broken by some jerk.” Of course, it didn’t work.

“You don’t get a say in my relationships.” You walk away, grabbing your bag and freezing when Daishō wraps his arm around your shoulder again.

“You’re the worst actor I’ve ever seen.”

“Shut up,” you start walking, starting the route home. It’s quiet, save for the four sets of footsteps and the passing of trains as you pass the train station. Kuroo and Kenma branch off to catch their train, and once you’re sure they’re gone you duck out from under Daishō’s shoulder. 

It’s quiet still, until he speaks, “You’ve never kissed someone, have you?” He takes your lack of response as a ‘yes’.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you look at your hands - how they play with each other, “just please check with me next time?” He nods as you both pause, one block away from the station and checking the time. “Kuroo and Kenma have gotten on the train by now - you should go catch yours before it’s too late.”

“You’ll be there on Wednesday, right?”

“Yeah.” You wave good-bye. “See you.”

He jogs back towards the station, waving. You’re left to walk home alone, and you have to pause mid-way because you’re thinking about this whole ordeal way too much and you think you might vomit. This is an insane, awful idea.

This is wrong.

* * *

This must be nothing akin to how Daishō felt the other day - he was cool, calm, and collected while you’re shaking with nerves, palms sweaty and lips wet (too wet?) from how many times your tongue had darted out. You’ve been to Nohebi many times - practice matches and all that - but it’s so much more intimidating when you don’t have a real reason to be here. 

“(Y/n)!” Daishō calls as he exits the main doors; a girl follows him intently with her eyes as he approaches you, enveloping you in a hug. 

“Can I kiss you? Mika’s watching,” he asks, whispering it in your ear.

You tense, knowing that a kiss will only add to your anxieties, “On the cheek, please.” And he hums, acknowledging your request and pressing a kiss to your cheek after letting you go. 

He looks down at you, a huge smile on his face - only he’s not looking exclusively at you, he’s glancing between you and Mika; you’re far enough away that it’s not obvious to her that he’s looking to her, but when Daishō’s expression changes to something of surprise and shame, you realize she must be walking over. You study his face and you realize that he is entirely too good of an actor.

“Oh! Mika,” Daishō does an excellent job of feigning embarrassment - from the way his arm tightens around you, to the way he averts his gaze; you wonder if Mika knows his tell. You turn around, facing the brunette.

She has the brightest smile on her face.

“Hello, Suguru,” not an ounce of malice or resentment in her voice, “who’s this?”

“I’m (L/n), I’m his, uh, I’m Suguru’s girlfriend.” You expect her face to drop, but her smile remains. Her hands darts forward, grasping one of yours and holding it tightly.

“I’m so happy to meet you!” You falter at Mika’s words. “I’m Mika - a friend of Suguru’s.” _So this is why he wants her back so bad._ She’s kind and beautiful and all you can think is _This isn’t going to work_. Because it can’t - she’s too nice, too happy for Daishō in his new ‘relationship’. “Hey, not to sound like a creep or anything, but did you wanna exchange numbers? I’d love to get to know you better.”

You choke, eyes wide in utter shock; it’s not that you’re against giving her your number (she’s nice enough, and Daishō trusts her) but it’s just about her asking so casually like you’d talked before. Eventually, you manage to tell her the digits, to which she thanks you, sending out a tester and smiling when she hears your phone chime in your bag.

“We’ve gotta get going,” Daishō buts in, “I’ll see you around, Mika?”

She nods, “It was nice to meet you, (L/n)!” waving as he pulls you along.

It’s quiet as you leave the school grounds, his arm slipping from your shoulder about a block away.

“D’you wanna call this whole thing off?” You ask, “Mika seemed pretty unaffected.”

“Nah, it got to her.” He smiles, “What time does your train get here - I’ll wait with you.” To be quite honest, you expected him to say good-bye and walk off, leaving you by yourself in front of the station. 

“Oh, I’ve got an hour and a half,” you say, checking the schedule outside the station, “you don’t have to wait with me, though.” You wave to him, but he stays by your side.

“What type of boyfriend would I be if I left you behind?”

“The fake kind - the kind that you are.” You wave to him again, walking into the station and past the gate, not giving him a chance to stay with you. 

Method acting is a little too much for you.

* * *

One month in - no progress with Kuroo or Mika. Daishō still shows up after some Nekoma practices, and you show up at Nohebi when you can, but it’s not a ‘fully-fleshed’ relationship just yet - somethings missing.

“- so then Kuguri started getting mad at Hiroo for not letting him get a spike in, which - the whole point of practice is to get better-”

“We should probably go on like… an actual date at some point, right?” You say as you walk Daishō to the station. “Or an actual fake date I guess? I dunno, Kenma’s been asking and Kuroo’s been saying you’re a shitty boyfriend, and to be honest it’s getting a little hard to defend you.” Daishō stops walking, mouth opening and closing while trying to come up with a way to say ‘no, we’ve totally been on dates, Kuroo’s just a moron,’ but comes up empty.

“Are you free now?”

Huh. Not what you were expecting. 

“You could show me your favourite place, we could get something to eat?” Despite you being the one who proposed going on a ‘date’, it takes you a while to form a response. 

“I mean if you want? I’m sure you’ve got homework to do or whatever.” You pull at your sleeves.

“We can do our work in the park, then - a study date.”

“I’d like that.” You smile up at him, taking the lead and leading him towards a park that wasn’t far from the station. 

It’s a little more crowded than you’d anticipated, though it was a Friday afternoon. There're kids running around the play structures, their parents watching over them half-heartedly while talking among themselves. Some middle schoolers play a group card game on tables - either Digimon or Pokemon (you can’t exactly tell from this distance); high schoolers that had the same idea as you sat on grassy patches and concrete barriers, papers resting on top of textbooks as makeshift clipboards.

Daishō finds you a spot on a bench - half in the shade, half in the sun. His arm wraps around you after you sit - an action that used to make you tense, but it’s become so normal over the past month that you don’t really care. Daishō starts on what you believe is math work while you start on your assigned reading.

“Mika and I used to do this all the time,” he says, not looking up from his work, “Fridays, actually - we’d go to the corner store, grab some food, we’d be out ‘till dark.” The way he talks about her, the way he looks at her - how could someone get tired of someone being that adoring? If Kuroo treated you like that you’d… well, you don’t know what you’d do; hold tight and never let go you guess?

“What happened?”

“Hm?”

“With you and Mika?”

He pauses his work, frowning, “I was too into volleyball, didn’t spend enough time with her.” Great you made things awkward. 

“Well that's why we’re doing this - so you can get her back.” You smile up at him and he presses a kiss to your forehead. “Suguru-”

“There's some members of your team over there,” his eyes flick across to a picnic table, and sure enough Lev, Shibayama, Teshiro, and Inuoka are looking at you. If they want to stare then fine - you’ll give them something to stare at. 

Placing your hand on Daishō’s cheek, you connect your lips. He’s good at playing off his surprise (as always), reciprocating the quick kiss before you broke it off, glancing at the group of first-years who were now looking away, red painting their faces.

“You’re a terrible kisser,” Daishō mutters.

“You’re a terrible teacher.” 

Kuroo was going to flip when Lev inevitably spilled.

* * *

 **‘** _Meet me at the park across from Nohebi’_ was the message you’d received at lunch from Daishō. Kuroo had tried to make plans with you after seeing the (fake) smile you’d perfected - nose slightly scrunched, bottom lip between your teeth as you smile - but you’d turned him down, saying you had plans with your ‘boyfriend’.

A few weeks since your first ‘date’ - while Mika remains indifferent, Kuroo’s upset at the whole ordeal; being the ‘smart cookie’ he is, figures that if he spends more time with you, the less time you’ll have to spend with Daishō, and you do sometimes go with him (which Daishō is more than fine with - this _was_ the plan after all), though you do feel a little awful when he’s already heading your way.

You get there early (admittedly on purpose) finding a spot in the mostly empty park - a picnic table under a tree, far enough from the grassy area that you won’t get hit with stray balls or frisbees and close enough to the street that should an ice cream vendor come by, you would be virtually first in line.

A fist rapping on the wooden table startles you from your homework. Looking up, it’s Daishō, grinning as he holds up a plastic bag. “What’s this?”

“Figured we’d have a picnic,” he replies as he takes his seat, “grabbed some drinks and steamed buns from a corner store.” He sets the bag down, untying the knot that had been put into it earlier. He smirks at your raised eyebrow, answering your question before you can ask it, “ _Yes_ , I got your favourite.” He pushes the warm plastic container towards you, condensation slightly obscuring the treat inside.

Sure enough, when you read the label, it’s your favourite filling, and when you look back up at him - preparing to thank him - he’s pushing a bottle of your favourite drink towards you. Your eyes narrow, “You aren’t stalking me, are you?”

He smiles sadly before responding, “Nah, Mika wants me to be a better boyfriend so she sent me the answers to that twenty-questions thing she sent you.” You suck your teeth, scrunching your nose up.

“Guess your plan isn’t working after all,”

“Hey, we’ve still got two months of this - don’t back out on me now!”

“Never said I would,” you raise your bun to your mouth, squealing when the hot filling hits your tongue. Daishō laughs as you huff out spurts of air, attempting to cool your mouth until you can swallow the bite you’d taken. You whine, tongue still hanging out of your mouth in an attempt to soothe it. You glare at him, taking a sip from your drink.

“What, you want me to kiss it better?” He pokes a hole in his own bun - you think it’s pork based on the smell - steam leaving through the hole he created.

“Don’t be weird Daishō,”

“Suguru.” He looks into his bag as he shuffles around for his work. He pulls it out after a moment, fishing out a pencil soon after and beginning to scribble this down. 

“Whatever,” you huff, getting back to your work.

“If you get in the habit, you won’t slip up,” he doesn’t look up from his sheet, “trust me, when you love someone, you don’t forget their name - would you forget rooster-heads?”

Wind rustles leaves as you stare at your paper.

“You never told me why you like him.” He still doesn’t take his eyes off his paper.

Again, all that can be heard is the rustling of leaves and conversations held between other people.

“I think…” you twirl your pencil in your fingers, eyes trained on it, “I think it was inevitable. You spend so much time, get so close to someone that all you can do is just… love them.” You pause to take a bite of your steamed bun, then speaking through a mouthful of it once you’d put it down, “Kuroo and I, all we did for the longest time was hang out with each other - Kenma was a year behind him and I needed help with science so it just worked.” You’re picking at your cuticles now, nervous for a reason unknown to you. “Then he convinced me to become Nekoma’s junior manager so he could share volleyball with me - a-and now as captain and manager… he’s the person I interact with the most,” A bitter smile spreads across your face, “I think that from the moment I met him at orientation - this lanky, geeky, guy with awful bed head - I was fated to fall for him.” You look up at Daishō, noticing how his pencil has also been put down. It’s quiet for a while, because he thinks that's the sweetest, most heartbreaking thing he’s ever heard.

He settles on something he means, but it needs that hint of snark to make it sound like the words are from his heart: “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

You groan, throwing your head back, “You’re the one who asked!” But a smile spreads across your face when you face your paper again - the one you’ve concocted for Daishō-related situations, with the wrinkled nose and your lip between your teeth.

And okay, maybe the smile’s not completely fake, because he _is_ a good friend who genuinely makes you smile.

* * *

You throw your bag down at the foot of your bed, not even bothering to change out of your uniform or take off your softshell jacket before crashing on your bed. You just want sleep - it’s been a hell of a week, and you’re suffering from such intense burnout that you feel sick. The fact that you’re probably going to wake up at two in the morning, uncomfortable as all hell doesn’t even cross your mind; you don’t care. You’ve settled under your sheets - your heads on the pillow, your body's twisted in the most comfortable position that can’t be good for your spine or joints, you’re _ready_.

Then your goddamn phone starts ringing.

Okay, whatever, just wait it out and fall asleep after. It stops and you sigh contently, closing your eyes and feeling sleep begin to wash over you.

Then your phone lights up like a fucking switchboard. It’s insufferable. Huffing, you throw the sheets off of you, digging through your bag until you found your phone, getting ready to go off on whoever had interrupted your nap time (that or just turn your phone off - it really depended on who was texting you).

> **_Suguru:_ ** _hey, answer your phone_
> 
> **_Suguru:_ ** _(Y/n)_
> 
> **_Suguru:_ ** _(Y/n)_
> 
> **_Suguru:_ ** _(Y/n)_
> 
> **_Suguru:_ ** _it’s important_
> 
> **_Suguru:_ ** _please :(_

You’re about to shut the phone off when he starts calling again. He’s not going to shut up unless you answer him - you may as well, but you’re not going to be happy about it.

“What the fuck do you want?” You hiss into the receiver, earning a chuckle from the other side.

“Did you just wake up?”

“Get to the point before I hang up,”

“Are we going to the Nekoma thing this weekend - I kinda need to know.” He’s referring to the Nekoma third year’s party - the one time these volleyball nerds actually let loose and party with their peers (it should be specified that the Nekoma faculty has never heard of such a thing, or so they say). 

You groan, “I don’t know, probably not.” You’re really indifferent, preferably you wouldn’t but you suppose you could be convinced, especially if it was Suguru (whenever you weren't managing Nekoma you were either talking or physically with him - it's not like you'd hate every moment of the party if you were with him).

“Are you sure? Because it’s the perfect opportunity for Kuroo to see us,” He sounds like he’s doing something else, but you don’t really care - you’re too exhausted, “it’ll make him really jealous - might even make him mad.”

“Thought I told you to stop antagonizing him,” you hum.

“Yes or no, c’mon (Y/n),”

You bite your lip after letting out a yawn, the heel of your palm coming up to rub at your eye, pinching at the bridge of your nose after.

You’re once again pinching at the bridge of your nose as Suguru throws an arm around your shoulders, walking up to your classmate's house. There's bass already thumping inside sounds mixing and mingling with the crowd of people inside. It’s definitely different from that party Kuroo dragged you to two months ago - it’s louder, for one thing. 

“We can leave whenever you want,” Suguru leans down to say in your ear, “we should just let Kuroo see us.” 

And, boy - does Kuroo see you. You know he does when he tries to steal you away from Suguru, saying that the captain and manager should dance together at least once (which you agree to, obviously); then there's the time when he drags you to a corner of the house for a picture with Yaku and Kai - to be honest after Kuroo gets to you, you don’t see Suguru for most of the night. 

“C’mon, just one more,” the captain pleads as you attempt to push him off of you , “this is the only time we’ll be able to take a picture without Lev trying to butt in,” you giggle at ‘butt’ and know you’ve had more than a little too much to drink.

“Fine, fine,” you slur and lean into him, too tired to stand on your own, “one more, then Suguru’s taking me home.” He visibly falters before pulling you tighter against him, flashing the most radiant smile to the camera that Kai is pointing in your direction. There's a dusting of pink across Kuroo’s cheeks due to the drinks he’s consumed. 

The supposedly final manager/captain photo is interrupted by a pair of arms snaking around you, making you squeal as your feet leave the ground. 

“Calm down, sweetness,” Suguru chuckles, “it’s just me.” Giggles bubble up in your throat as you recognize the person behind you. You find yourself looking back at him, kissing the corner of his mouth in your tipsy state (you think you were aiming for an actual kiss). In return, a fat, wet kiss is pressed to your cheek.

“Kai!” You exclaim, whipping your head back around to the vice-captain, “Take a picture of me and Suguru!” He chuckles, raising the camera as Suguru rests his chin on your shoulder. You squeeze your eyes shut, sending a toothy grin to the camera as the shutter goes off. The old Polaroid that Kai had brought spits out the photo and he takes it, shaking it for a moment before handing it to you. You stare at it expectantly, as if the image will show up faster; you wine when it doesn’t and Suguru has the softest look on his face as he pulls away from your back (not that you saw).

“I think it’s time we get you home,” Suguru looks down at you, ruffling your hair, but you’re still trained on the still-developing image. You unknowingly lean into his touch. Your head snaps up after a moment, saying your good-bye’s and waving to your friends as you lean into Suguru for support as he leads you from the party. 

“You feeling okay?” He asks, a ways away from the thumping of bass and cheering of Nekoma third years.

“You’re warm,” you mumble, not directly answering his question, but your behaviour speaks volumes. He _tsk_ 's, mumbling something about how you should’ve paced yourself - oh well, the damage is done. Your head feels like it’s full of cotton. Your tongue feels heavy.

“Is anyone at home to take care of you?” He hums, keeping his arm around you to ensure you don’t stumble forwards and find out what concrete tastes like.

“Nah,” you sigh, “my parents’re outta town to visit my grandparents.” You stumble and (though you don’t see it) Suguru’s eyes widen as he struggles to keep you up. “Can we take a break? I feel like m’ gonna fall over.” You whine and he chuckles, trying to find a bench for you to rest on. 

You don’t wait.

Instead, you duck out from under his arm, falling backwards with a content smile on your face as if you won’t bruise your tailbone when you land on the sidewalk. Suguru’s arms dart out, catching your forearms and providing enough resistance so that it only hurts a little. 

He squats between your kicked out legs, watching as you sway to a song only you can hear. It’s cute. 

“Why do you hate Kuroo?” You mumble - you’re looking up at the sky, watching the stars.

“It’s just a friendly rivalry,” he says, “it’s always like this when two egos clash - we can’t deal with each other.” 

“But what happens when your plan works?” You pout, tilting your head to the side, “I don't want my friend and my boyfriend to hate each other.”

“So you have confidence in my plan now?” He chuckles, “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it - I’ll sort everything out.” You can’t date Kuroo and be friends with your ‘ex-boyfriend’ who happens to be his rival. It won’t work no matter how hard you try. It’s okay, he has a plan. 

His hand comes up to cup your cheek, “C’mon sweetness, let’s get going; I’ll stay with you to make sure you don’t hurt yourself - knowing you, you'll get up to get water in the middle of the night and break your femur.” He chuckles and you whine again, throwing your head back.

“But m’ tired,”

“Guess I’ll have to carry you, then.”

* * *

You never reached the end of the final month.

_“I can’t take it anymore - just break up with him!” Kuroo grips a volleyball tightly. It startles everyone - namely you. You look up from your flip phone, midway through the text you’d been sending Suguru (he has a habit of forgetting to set his PVR then whining to you when he misses a volleyball match from the other side of the globe - you thought you’d remind him)._

_You feel small under Kuroo’s gaze, but there's this pride within you - that you’d finally won and your life is going to fall into place._

_But Yaku scolds him before you can get a word in, “You can’t just demand that she breaks up with him because you don’t like Daishō.” Little did the libero know, you were going to have a talk with your captain after practice - the planned script Suguru had come up with for this special occasion, waiting for the day you’d text him and say Kuroo confessed. “Oh, Kuroo,” you’re supposed to wail, “all he ever talks about is Mika - you were right!” And you say just that._

Kuroo had been all but thrilled when you agreed to break up with Suguru, promising you the best date of your life. 

You received a call from your boyfriend when you told him his plan worked; Suguru cheering for you on the other end - so loud that you had to pull the phone away from your ear - followed by a much quieter congratulations. 

It should be noted that his cheering stung your heart.

It should also be noted that Suguru didn’t know how else to react because he was happy that you’d be getting what you want.

No friendship can remain no matter how much you want it.

You try to shake the lingering melancholy from your head as you wait for Kuroo by your front door. He says he’s taking you to a movie; didn’t say which. There's a couple that have come out recently that you’d like to see. There's a knock on your door and your legs do small kicks before standing up from your spot on the stairs (a little too fast, actually, because you almost fall). After nearly stumbling into the door, you open it, finding Kuroo on the other side.

“You ready to go?” He asks, holding his elbow out to you. You opened your mouth to answer, only to be cut off by a ping from your phone. Your brow furrows, glancing at your notifications.

> **_Suguru(DO NOT TEXT):_ ** _Have fun, sweetness_

You smile. You want to chew him out and tell him he shouldn’t be texting you right now. You don’t, though. Instead, you shut off your phone without responding. 

“Yep - Mika was just wishing me luck,” you link your arm with Kuroo’s, calling to your parents to let them know you’re leaving. He chuckles.

“What, did you guys make a hate club for that snake bastard?” Actually, after the first few messages, you ended up moving off the topic of Suguru completely.

“Something like that.” You smile up at him as you begin down your walkway towards a taxi.

“Can I join?” he jokes while sliding into the back seat

“Sorry,” you hum, “you gotta be his ex.” You slide in beside him as he grimaces, the thought of being around Suguru being a dreadful one. The grimace drops instantly upon seeing giggles bubble up. He gives the driver the address to the theatre. 

“Any idea of which movie you wanna see?” He asks as the car begins to move, lurching back slightly as you do the same.

“Well, there's that horror movie, _POV: Norowareta Film_ ,” you bring your thumb and pointer finger to your chin as you think, “or maybe the Hidetoshi Nishijima drama?” You turn your head towards him and smile.

You end up seeing _Life Is Dead_.

It’s fun.

You’d had fun (that’s important to stress), it was so much fun; he’d even taken you to an arcade once the movie was done, _tried_ to win you tickets but failed miserably. You had won your own tickets and a crap ton at that. 

You’d chosen a snake plush and a ring with a cat on it. You pretended to propose to Kuroo with it.

But when Kuroo dropped you off afterwards, there's a sense of… disenchantment.

You sit there, on your bed. You _should_ feel happy - Suguru’s plan worked, didn’t it? Kuroo had taken you on a wonderful date. But as you stare into your closet you only feel indifference. 

The rose-coloured shirt that hangs from a wooden hanger, the two cherry-coloured Nekoma softshell jackets that you’d received in your first and second years with the volleyball team (and the one draped over your desk chair that you’d received this year), a skirt dyed garnet, the pair of shoes the same colour as the crimson lipstick you broke out on special occasions. Your eyes drift to your hands - the ruby shellac is flaking despite only being applied a few hours ago. You cringe as it lands on your bedsheets.

As you lay back, head hitting the pillow, you realize that there is entirely too much red in your life.

She notices the change in him immediately after school. His eyes are red and puffy. She asks what’s the matter.

“(Y/n) broke up with me for Kuroo,” he mumbles.

He doesn’t entirely know if it’s an act or not. He doesn’t know why he feels like this when the plan was followed to a tee.

_This is what you had wanted, wasn’t it? So why does it feel wrong?_

* * *

You sit outside of Nohebi. You're wringing your hands.

_“I know you guys weren’t actually together,” Mika says, taking a sip of her jasmine tea. She knows what conspired, even if neither of you said anything. She knows how his mind works._

_Mika knows how Suguru gets what he wants._

_You sputter, drawing a few looks from other patrons of the cafe you’re in. You wipe your drink that's dribbling down your chin. “What?”_

_“You and Suguru,” she hums, handing you a napkin, “you two entered a fake relationship to make me and Kuroo jealous.” She takes a bite of the tea cake she’d ordered._

_“Wh- that’s, that’s ridiculous,” you take the napkin and dab what remains of your drink on your chin._

_“You don’t need to deny it,” she says with a smile, “I’d commend Suguru if he wasn’t so manipulative,” she laughs, “you guys almost had me.”_

_Your stomach drops._

_“I’m not mad,” she clarifies, “I expected it when I broke things off with him - not with the Nekoma manager, but I expected it.” she takes another sip of her drink, “points for creativity, I guess.” It should be noted, for all those who don’t know, that Mika is as perceptive as Suguru is conniving._

_You look down at your drink, embarrassed that you’d been found out. “I’m sorry, I just…” you bite your lip, “I was so desperate for Kuroo to notice me and Suguru - he knew I wouldn’t pass it up.” You smile fondly, cupping the mug in front of you. “It was fun while it lasted. The plan worked wonders, though - I’m with Kuroo now, aren’t I?”_

_She nods, humming as if she agrees. “There was one issue when you both made this plan,” she takes another bite of her tea cake._

_“That you’re too smart for your own good?” You chuckle, tilting your head._

_“No, it’s something you couldn’t have planned for, actually.”_

_“Alright, so spill - what didn’t Suguru and I plan for?”_

_“That you’d both fall for each other.” She giggles. Again you sputter, fewer people looking your way this time. “He whines about you too much about you for it to have been a complete act - cried over you too much, too.” She finishes her tea cake, leaning forward on the table as you gape like a fish. “There were also the lingering glances - I recall Suguru showing me a photo from a party; don’t forget, I used to be the object of those glances. Suguru’s good at deceiving others but I’m better at reading him.”_

_“Well, what about me?” You ask, just a little too quickly, and you clear your throat to try and play down suspicions, “You said we fell for each other, but you’ve only given proof for Suguru.”_

_She grins, almost devilishly. “For one, there's that little outburst. Second goes back to the photo - you completely ignored Kuroo to take a photo with Suguru.” She leans against her palm. “The most damning piece, though, is that you didn’t shoot me down right away.”_

_She’s right._

_That's all you can think - she’s right. You don’t even want to deny it because lying to yourself isn’t a habit you should get into._

_“You shouldn’t be with Kuroo if you don’t actually have feelings for him anymore,” she reaches across the table, placing her hand on top of yours, “especially when the person you actually care about cares for you too.”_

_So when you stand on Kuroo’s doorstep, half a month after getting with him, you know you have to tell him. He took you out again - this time to a restaurant; it was lovely like last time, but not quite what you were looking for._

_You tell him at his door, shame washing over you - you tell him everything._

_About having loved him since year one. About Suguru realizing and accusing you. You left out the part about refusing at first - what did it matter if you agreed to it in the end? You tell him about the fake dates, how you and Suguru attempted to manipulate him and Mika. How everything went according to plan. How you accidentally fell in love with Suguru without realizing it._

_You tell him you’re sorry. You think he’s disgusted._

_He tells you it’s okay. He says it can’t be helped and could tell - your smile gave you away when you were talking about the ‘hate club’; it was too sad. He asks if you still want to be friends._

_You’re floored._

_Kuroo might just be the most forgiving person you know._

“So.” He hums beside you.

“So?” You chuckle, raising an eyebrow and looking at him. His eyes are soft, trained on the ground in front of him. It’s not like him.

“I beat out Kuroo,” he snickers. There he is - the snarky asshole you fell in love with.

You punch his arm lightly, scolding him, “What did I say about antagonizing him?” You pout and he just ruffles your hair in response. 

“Hm, guess I have to follow that rule again.” He says it as if it’s a chore - as if he wouldn’t bring you the moon if you said it was a prerequisite. He slings an arm around your shoulder, bringing you closer to him. You feel a pair of lips press against the top of your head.

Yeah.

This is nice.

"It's like I said," you don't think that you meant to say it out loud, but you keep talking anyways, "you spend so much time with and get so close to someone that all you can do is just love them."

"So you're saying this was inevitable?" He rests his head on top of yours.

"Yeah, kinda."

"You're a sap."

A few moments of silence pass - leaves rustle overhead, cars and trains heard in the distance. 

“Y’wanna go get steamed buns and go to the park?” His arms wrap around you, one hand finding your to hold, “My treat.” 

“Sure, just want one thing though.”

“And what's that, sweetness?” He hums - you don’t think he slept much last night, he’s being awfully clingy (it could've been nerves from you saying you wanted to talk, though you have a hard time imagining Suguru as nervous).

“An actual first kiss?” You cough afterwards, attempting to make it seem like you weren’t going to combust at any moment.

He chuckles, “You’re too cute, you know that?” He lifts his head from atop yours, hands coming to squish your cheeks.

“Just kiss me, please?” You manage to say. He complies, hands ceasing their kneading and instead resting tenderly, thumbs brushing under your eyes. His lips press against yours - softer than that evening at the Nekoma gym. It’s nice this time, gentle and full of love like a first kiss should be. You realize something when he pulls away.

Suguru _does_ have a tell. It’s in his eyes. He can put on any face he wants, but he can’t hide the emotions his eyes hold. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated!


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